Florida's UCCJEA Affidavit, Form 12.902(d), is required in any case touching custody, parental responsibility, or time-sharing with a minor child, whether or not anyone is actually disputing those issues.
Quick Answer: File Form 12.902(d) in any Florida case involving parental responsibility, custody, or time-sharing with a minor child, even an uncontested one. It documents your child's residence history for the past five years and any other custody proceedings involving them, so the court can confirm it has jurisdiction under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act.
What Is the UCCJEA Affidavit?
Form 12.902(d), the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) Affidavit, is a Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure form. It should be used in any case involving parental responsibility for, custody of, or time-sharing or visitation with any minor child.
Download the official Form 12.902(d) (PDF, Florida Courts)
Why Florida Requires This Even When Custody Is Not Disputed
The UCCJEA is a uniform law adopted across states that prevents competing custody orders from different courts. Before a Florida court can make custody decisions, it needs to confirm it actually has jurisdiction, which generally depends on where the child has been living. That is true whether the parents are fighting over custody or have already agreed on everything: the court still needs the residence history to confirm its own authority to act.
When You Need to File It
File this affidavit any time your Florida family law case involves a minor child and touches parental responsibility, custody, or time-sharing, including:
- A dissolution of marriage where you and your spouse have minor or dependent children together
- A paternity case establishing parental responsibility or time-sharing
- Any modification of an existing custody or time-sharing order
If your Florida divorce involves children, this affidavit generally accompanies your petition. Virdix's current Florida coverage handles this as part of an uncontested divorce with children; standalone custody or time-sharing cases are not yet part of Virdix's Florida coverage.
What the Affidavit Asks For
For each child covered by the case, the form asks for:
- The child's full legal name, place of birth, date of birth, and sex.
- A five year residence history: every address (city and state) where the child has lived over the past five years, the dates at each address, and the name, present address, and relationship to the child of anyone the child lived with during that time.
- Whether you have participated in any other custody litigation involving the child, in Florida or elsewhere, and if so, the child's name, the type of proceeding, the court and state, and the date of any order or judgment.
- Whether you have any information about a pending custody proceeding involving the child in another court.
If You Need to Keep Your Address Confidential
If you are the petitioner in an injunction for protection against domestic violence and have filed a Request for Confidential Filing of Address (Form 12.980(h)), write "confidential" in any space on this form that would otherwise require your current living address.
If your case involves domestic violence or you fear for your safety, call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Florida injunction cases are outside Virdix's current Florida coverage; the state's self-help resources or a Florida attorney are the right next step for that filing.
Filing and Serving the Affidavit
Type or print the form in black ink, sign it before a notary public or deputy clerk, and file it with the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the petition was filed, keeping a copy for your records. A copy must also be mailed, e-mailed, or hand delivered to the other party in your case, if it is not served with your initial papers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Florida Form 12.902(d)?
Form 12.902(d) is the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) Affidavit, a Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure form required in any case involving parental responsibility for, custody of, or time-sharing or visitation with a minor child. It establishes which state has jurisdiction over custody matters by documenting where the child has actually lived.
Do I need this form if my ex and I already agree on custody?
Yes. The affidavit is required even if parental responsibility, custody, time-sharing, or visitation is not in dispute. It is a jurisdictional and disclosure requirement, not a fight-resolution form.
What time period does the residence history cover?
The affidavit asks for the child's present address and every address where the child has lived over the past five years, along with who the child lived with at each address and that person's relationship to the child.
What if there is another custody case involving my child in a different state?
You must disclose it. The affidavit asks whether you have participated as a party, witness, or in any capacity in any other custody litigation involving the child, in this or any other state, and if so, requires details: the child's name, the type of proceeding, the court and state, and the date of any order or judgment.
What if I am a domestic violence victim and do not want to disclose my address?
If you are the petitioner in a domestic violence injunction case and have filed a Request for Confidential Filing of Address (Form 12.980(h)), you should write "confidential" in any space on this form that would otherwise require your current address.
Can Virdix help me prepare a UCCJEA Affidavit?
Virdix's current Florida coverage is uncontested divorce, with or without children, and does not yet include custody, parentage, or domestic violence case preparation on its own. If your Florida case involves children, Virdix can help prepare this affidavit as part of your uncontested divorce filing; for a case that is only about custody or time-sharing, Florida's self-help resources or a Florida attorney are the right next step today.
How Virdix Helps
Virdix prepares the UCCJEA Affidavit as part of an uncontested Florida divorce that involves minor children, alongside your petition and the Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course paperwork. Start free. Pay once, only when your documents are ready. See Divorce in Florida on Virdix for the full picture of what Virdix covers in Florida today.
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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Virdix is a document preparation service, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. Forms and procedures can change; always confirm current information with the Florida Courts or your circuit court clerk. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed Florida attorney.
Sources: Florida Courts (flcourts.gov), Instructions for Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.902(d) (02/18), Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, Chapter 61, Florida Statutes